President Obama is no Vice-President Cheney

When I read on May 1, 2011 that Bin Laden was killed, I wondered at first why the New York Times reported the roles of the CIA and SEALs, noting when President Obama "gave the final order for members of the Navy Seals and C.I.A. operatives to strike."

Is this too much information, "too many details of [special operations' missions being] leaked to the press," as John Miller [who worked with the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence], said on "CBS This Morning" (February 8, 2012).

The loudest criticism [seen in the video below] is coming from a Christian Dominionist, Maj Gen James Vaught who also said a few years back: "Only Christian [is a] soldier is a good soldier. We know we (Christians) are not the enemy so you figure out who is."

It seems improbable that elite units such as Task Force 20 [whatever incarnation it operates as today]—a shadowy multi-service Special Forces unit reportedly composed of Marine Force Recon, Navy Seals, Army Delta Force and Rangers, and Air Force Special Operations personnel—would have their superiors speaking publicly on the composition and tactics of this combined services missions that take down high-value U.S. military targets like Osama Bin Laden, and rescue Hostages in Somalia, as in January.

Which is why I think reports of the composition and details of risky, spectacular successes are misinformation, and critics like Maj Gen James Vaught are likely off-target in a CBS News report in this video, as a new Poll finds broad support for Obama’s counterterrorism policies.



(CBS News)

Saddam caught by Task Force 20

Adm. Bill McRaven, the nation's top military officer for special operations forces like the Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, came under some not-so-friendly fire Tuesday, facing criticism that too many details of his troops' missions are leaked to the press.

Informed personnel say American media reports and even books on Task Force 20 and other special forces operations generally are rife with cover stories and misinformation.

In other words, when it comes to reports on special operations missions, don't believe too much beyond what appears obvious.

Like Maj Gen. James Vaught, as a good American, I don't want to know details of special forces operations anymore than I want public the exact route of President Obama to a public event. But I don't believe I do from press reports, even after a mission is completed.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with members
of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against
Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House, May 1, 2011.
Seated, from left, are: Brigadier General Marshall B. “Brad” Webb,
Assistant Commanding General, Joint Special Operations Command;
Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough;
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
Standing, from left, are: Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;
National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Bill Daley;
Tony Binken, National Security Advisor to the Vice President; Audrey Tomason
Director for Counterterrorism; John Brennan,
Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; and
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
Please note: a classified document seen in this photograph has been obscured.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Speculating, Gen. James Vaught's loud complaints sound a lot like part of a political black flag operation (a covert false flag operation) carried out by shills to deceive the public for an unspecified objective. In this case, this objective is to take the shine off the successes of President Obama in his role as commander-in-chief.

Does Gen. Vaught really believe President Obama is giving away secrets?

Vaught speaks his mind often: "Only Christian soldier is a good soldier. We know we (Christians) are not the enemy so you figure out who is." “Now is not the time to be politically correct.” (Nov. 3, 2003)

I worked for President Obama's campaign; I criticized President Obama; I voted for President Obama and will again, and believe me President Obama is no Vice-President Cheney.

I should note that I did wonder why a couple of days before bin laden was killed, my traffic on a high-traffic story on Task Force 20 and Islamophobia suddenly jettisoned into the number one piece for highest traffic of the week on my blog, in which the publicly viewed "Popular Posts" section indicated the movement.

Whatever happened in the April-May 2011 days prior to killing Osama Bin Laden, a lot people may have suddenly become interested in Islamophobia or some people were monitoring the Internet closely to see what showed up when entering "Task Force 20."

I did wonder: What's up?

CBS concludes in their report this morning:

What generates the kind of pressure that McRaven faced Tuesday is when classified information is leaked by congressional or White House staffers who can't tell which details are of tactical value, Miller said. Of course, with special operations forces carrying out missions at a rate of four or five a day for the past two years, the details of which don't come to light, McRaven's missions largely stay true to his troops' nickname of "the quiet professionals."

That seems true, and I think another political strike at President Obama just went up in smoke.

Did Task Force 20 Kill Osama Bin Laden

Saddam caught by Task Force 20

Update: Army Vet and Muslim Sgt. Key to Saddam Capture Speaks Out on Islamophobia

Last Thursday, the highest traffic here as usual was centered around Wisconsin recall politics and Righthaven's campaign against veterans and bloggers.

Rather suddenly on Friday, an exclusive piece from last September on Task Force 20 and a Special Forces Army Sgt speaking out against Islamophobia jettisoned into the number two and then number one piece for highest traffic of the week.

Task Force 20 is an elite and shadowy multi-service Special Forces unit reportedly composed of Marine Force Recon, Navy Seals, Army Delta Force and Rangers, and Air Force Special Operations personnel.

High-value U.S. military targets like Osama Bin Laden are often the mission of a combined services task force like the top secret Task Force 20 or whatever incarnation it is today.

So whatever happened yesterday with Osama Bin Laden, a lot people may have suddenly become interested in Islamophobia late last week or some people were monitoring the Internet closely to see what showed up when entering "Task Force 20."

Google Analytics is not really helpful as it reveals top referring sites as Google France and Google.

Army Vet and Muslim Sgt. Key to Saddam Capture Speaks Out on Islamophobia

Update: See also Did Task Force 20 Kill Osama Bin Laden
- U.S. Army Sergeant Ayman A. Ibrahim's intelligence directly led to the capture of Saddam Hussein. Ibrahim speaks out now as a Muslim for America, and against the rampant Islamophobia in America -

Exclusive to Michael Leon and Veterans Today


U.S. Army Sergeant Ayman A. Ibrahim (1985–2005 (ret.)) is a highly decorated military hero who despises this description.

Mr. Ibrahim's preference aside, the former paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 82^nd Airborne (1985–1988) who received the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star (awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct) among other citations, was a key figure as the senior interpreter (and interrogator) attached to the Saddam-hunting, American Special Forces Task Force 121.

Task Force 20

Task Force 20 located and captured Saddam on December 13, 2003 on a farm near Tikrit in central Iraq.

Task Force 20 is an elite and shadowy multiservice Special Forces unit reportedly composed of Marine Force Recon, Navy Seals, Army Delta Force and Rangers, and Air Force Special Operations personnel.

Ibrahim's intelligence—derived by non-coercive interrogations and rapport-building—directly led to the capture of Saddam.

Informed personnel say American media reports and even books on Task Force 20 operations generally are rife with cover stories and misinformation, hence the often-used adjective “shadowy” by writers.

Currently working as a contractor supporting the U.S. mission, Ibrahim, now living in the Middle East, contacted Veterans Today to speak out against the Islamophobia gripping the United States as war clouds gather over Iran.

Ibrahim is an American Muslim who speaks fluent Arabic. After 9/11, working in California training mobilized National Guard troops and reserve units, Ibrahim saw his country under attack and badly wanted to work with a forward combat unit.

His sense of duty includes a heart-felt betrayal by those few calling themselves Muslim who attacked America.

“Ayman is a fiercely loyal guy who's not only a roll-up your sleeves workhorse type, but has extremely sharp intellect under pressure. I have known him since our teenage days back in the early 80s when we rolled the California mean streets. He's the kind of guy you want on your team; a man of integrity, principle-centered leadership, and mental toughness under extreme pressure that you absolutely need when you live in the trenches of warfare,” said John Allen, General Manager of the Veterans Today Network and long time friend, in an e-mail.

I spoke with Ibrahim, reached in Amman, Jordan, by phone on 9/11 last Saturday—the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States—for about an hour.

War and Task Force 20

Ibrahim, as I can perceive in a phone conversation, has an unusual intensity in his voice. He talks easily, tolerates frequent interruptions, but there appears fierce conviction behind his narratives and seemingly behind each spoken word, lending his vocalization a Carl Sagan-like quality.

“War is usually a failure. When we have war, diplomacy has failed. Something has failed. Someone has not done their jobs well. Say, the neocons and Richard Pearle, for example, they are either failing in preventing war or they are trying to start one,” said Ibrahim.

“The guys I worked with [Task Force 20] in Iraq, everyone has the idea of a Rambo, elite super soldiers [like those portrayed television series], but these guys are professionals. They don’t do things for kicks. They do their jobs, and treat human beings like human beings. If they have to go in hard, it’s because they are risking their lives. So some people who do not know what they are talking about give these guys a bad rap. But Task Force Special Operations Task Force 121 is composed of professional, dedicated and smart people, and yes, they are very tough, and yes they are the best on the world. They have character.”

Islamophobia

“These Islamophobes, Koran-burning, no Mosques or community centers. They betray America. I feel I have to speak out because this is not the America I know and love. They are not the Americans I believe in. I went through some events where after 9/11, security concerns were raised about me while I was a soldier because I am a Muslim. But my team, the people who I served with knocked that down right away,” said Ibrahim, referring to the post-9/11 days that sent him at his request to forward combat units, ultimately with Task Force 20.

“You get these people who say America is only this way. Only this belief. And if you don’t like it, ‘leave.’ That’s not America. You find your way in America, you pursue what you believe: That’s America and if you don’t like that, you can leave.”

This Mosque controversy in New York is so ridiculous. I'm willing to move the Islamic center to another location, but what is next; we need to identify what is the end game for these guys who are yelling hate. To equate all Muslims with terrorists is beyond foolish. Is Christianity a terrorist religion because of the KKK and the like? No. But I do not fear anti-Islamic bigotry. It’s nothing to me in the sense it is so foolish and so gutless that it presents no threat to me at all. But I speak against it now because I stand up against it as a proud American who has been challenged in other ways as a solider and a man.”

Ibrahim is a military man and his comments on the capture of Saddam Hussein are punctuated with references that are heavy on his belonging to a team.

But even now, seven years after the capture of Saddam, Ibrahim begs off precise details on Task Force 20 operations.

Ibrahim does say that one Iraqi walking away with a $25-million reward for the capture of the man who became known as the “Ace of Spades” are incorrect.

Warrior for Peace

“There is one instant in under fire where you can freeze or you can draw adrenalin from what is happening and in some ways love it, and crave it. I love it, and these Islamophobes are dangerous, but they are very weak and fearful people as individuals,” said Ibrahim with seeming contempt.

The vast majority of Muslims speak proudly of the tolerance of Islam that regards as prophets— Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

Listening to Ibrahim, I thought about the contradictions of being simultaneously religious and being an elite warrior for a state. But coming from Ibrahim, his words seem very convincing.

Ibrahim is a universalist. His commitments are social, concerned with the rights of his fellow human beings, raising in a listener the words of John Donne:

Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind ...

Ibrahim blows off specific questions about his present work in Amman, Jordan. Though he is undoubtedly intently focused on whatever he is doing, his words come back to the topic of America, Islamophobia and the growing scent of outright fascism.

So I ask Ibrahim speficially about Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Christian Zionists, and near-constant fear-mongering of the specter of a world Islamic mission of a presumably Sunni-Shia alliance imposing their will onto America.

Said Ibrahim, “I ask these haters who think they speak in the name of our beloved Prophet Jesus, please do as he preached and do not be a Bin Laden and interpret as you like to promote your own agenda of hate.”

America and Americans are better and deserve better than being labeled as haters and racist people. They should not follow those few preaching hate as their moment will go away. But world perception will last, we need to protect our country from all those hateful people inside and out.”